HR0402 LRB094 12236 CSA 45888 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Fred Walk has served Normal Community High School
3 (NCHS), the community of Bloomington-Normal, and the State of
4 Illinois during his 33 years as a teacher of social science;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mr. Walk has exceeded all teaching standards by
7 challenging his students to think critically and globally about
8 economics, history and geography; his teaching methods being so
9 effective that he was able to teach economics suited for a
10 college level in a way all students understood and appreciated;
11 history came to life as Mr. Walk's history class researched and
12 debated thoroughly some of the most difficult decisions that
13 faced our nation and our humanity, such as civil rights,
14 morality during war, and aid to impoverished countries; he
15 exuded a passion for the world we live in and was a consultant
16 to the National Geography Bee; he adorned his classroom with
17 maps of all parts of the earth; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Fred was not hesitant to show his lighter side by
19 telling funny stories about himself and his friends and family
20 or by telling homespun jokes, albeit sometimes recycled, such
21 as using the traffic light "walk" sign as his campaign reminder
22 if he ever ran for public office; his students often say he is
23 the best thing since sliced bread; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Fred Walk's tremendous work has been praised in
25 Illinois and across the nation when he received the
26 Distinguished Educator Award from the National Council for
27 Geographic Education, the Excellence Award from the Illinois
28 Education Association for Central Illinois, the State Farm Good
29 Neighbors Teacher Award, and several times was awarded the
30 Teacher of the Year by his students at NCHS; and
 
31     WHEREAS, Beyond these awards, Fred Walk's most important

 

 

HR0402 - 2 - LRB094 12236 CSA 45888 r

1 lesson was the impact he has had on all of his students; his
2 intellectual curiosity, compassion, dry humor, and drive for
3 achievement embodies an ideal that his students could take with
4 them for the rest of their lives; although his days of teaching
5 at NCHS draw to a close, the thoughts he instilled, the
6 questions he dared to ask, and the tolerance he demanded will
7 play on for future generations; as such, for the community in
8 which he taught, Mr. Walk will remain a part of its history;
9 therefore, be it
 
10     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12 we honor the remarkable 33-year teaching career of Fred Walk,
13 and thank him for his commitment and service to his students,
14 community, and the State of Illinois; and be it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16 presented to Fred Walk as an expression of our respect and
17 esteem and with our best wishes for his retirement.